peace?!

We've been in our little "jail cell" (as we've taken to affectionately referring to our house) for a little over a month, now. The newness is wearing off and we're starting to settle into a routine- some days its a routine of crankiness and whinyness. some days it's a routine of grumbling and complaining. not quite as often as I'd like the days fall into a routine of making each moment count-filled with snuggles and cuddles and giggles. 

So, how have we been doing in the peace department?? 

I've been giving up a lot more control and trying to allow more of the childish behavior to go- while making sure that I focus on the important things- the "big deals". We've been working on first time obedience and obeying even when mommy can't see you. We've had quite a few consequences...some that hurt mommy more than anyone (such as, no movies in the afternoon for Hailey=no mommy break while everyone else is sleeping). I've made it a new "rule" for myself that I won't get upset or irritated when someone spills something, but will just clean it up and chalk it up to childishness and learning to use a cup...definitely been a stretch a few times (think entire container of juice spilled IN the refrigerator and running out the bottom and flowing underneath) In general I've been working on showing kindness to my kids. I think that has been the biggest difference in the peace of our house, this month. It's been a lot more humbling and difficult than I ever imagined it would be. Sometimes it's just amazing the irritation that creeps up in my heart over the smallest things. 

The kids have gotten fairly good at making their own fun in different parts of our house...which usually translates to, "tearing apart and completely destroying as many rooms of the house as possible". It's been fun to see them all get better at playing together and seeing their creativity and ingenuity, but it's been hard to see them destroy the whole house in a matter of minutes and not get completely frustrated and irritated. 

Our house is so small that there's no way to get away from all the noise and chaos- they even follow me to the bathroom. Sometimes by the end of the day my ears are all "noised" out. On those days it's been a little harder to be kind and not just want some quiet.  

On the days when 2 arms are not even close to enough and 1 lap is not big enough...it's been a little hard to keep the irritation from creeping in and to react kindly to the whines and cries. 

The good thing is that I've been asking for prayer from a few friends and that seems to be helping me keep my heart in the right place. The other good thing is that I feel less stressed than I did last month. I feel less cranky and irritable and more at peace than I did a month ago. I know that my heart is more at peace than it was last month...and that is all I need to keep me praying, working and striving towards peace. I'm not going to achieve perfection, in this life. I'm striving and working towards becoming a mom who brings peace to her home and as long as I'm not going backwards I'm going to be thankful for forward progress :) 

This month I'm linking up with my "bloggy" friend Melanie at Only a Breath!